


Kindaichi Case Files: The Blue Rose Murders

by thanku4urlove



Category: Hey! Say! JUMP, Johnny's Entertainment, 金田一少年の事件簿 | Kindaichi Shounen no Jikenbo | Kindaichi Case Files - All Media Types
Genre: Canon-Typical Violence, Crime, Descriptions of Corpses, Getting Together, Hypnotism, Kidnapping, M/M, Murder, Originally Posted on LiveJournal, Romance, Sharing a Bed
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-09-27
Updated: 2019-09-27
Packaged: 2020-10-29 13:14:03
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 8
Words: 21,131
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20797187
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/thanku4urlove/pseuds/thanku4urlove
Summary: Kindaichi Hajime has graduated high school, and is now a full-fledged detective. When a series of murders begin, murders that are abstractly connected to his past, Kindaichi must gather his wits and solve the case to keep himself--and someone he loves--out of harm's way.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> This fic hinges heavily on the details of the 2014 drama Kindaichi Shonen no Jikenbo N (neo), so while I tried to explain things to the best of my ability, it might be confusing if you haven't watched that first. I tried to craft a good mystery, but if you're confused by anything, let me know!

Kindaichi Hajime felt a frown forming on his face, looking around the high school gymnasium. There were five students crowded by cameras and policemen and evidence markers, their bodies arranged grotesquely. All of them were dead.

There was one victim in each corner of the room, then one in the middle. The middle one was facing the door, sitting in a chair next to a projector, the projector itself tilted so that a gigantic blue rose was cast on to the ceiling. The murder weapon of choice had been obvious at first glance; frothy blood had dried all down the victim's school uniform, face discolored, a broken mug on the floor. He had been poisoned.  
Kindaichi had already made a lap around the gym, taking in the other bodies. In the top right was a man wrapped in a black cloak, hung from the ceiling, his body positioned as though he was falling, with an ugly depression wound on the back of his head. He was the only one that was dressed differently though; all of the rest had on their school uniforms, and each had been killed and positioned in different ways. The victim in the top left corner of the room had a depression wound on the front of his head, empty strips of film strewn haphazardly on his body. The one in the bottom left corner was stood on his feet, looking eerily like the mannequins around him, and in the bottom right the victim had been obviously, unapologetically, stabbed in the chest. There had been a single candle burning by his head, and nothing else. They all seemed incredibly random. It didn't make any sense.

"How is it, Kindaichi? Any theories yet?"

The question was asked by Hatakeyama Koutoku and Kindaichi smiled at him, shaking his head.

"Give me a little bit more time. Just a second or two." He said. He was a detective now, graduated from high school and working with the bureau. They had tried to get him to pass their entrance qualifications, and despite his obvious capabilities he had never managed to get well enough scores on the written segments. When Old Man Kenmochi retired, his assistant Hatakeyama had filled his position, a payroll opening up. With a bit of wheedling, Kindaichi had secured himself the spot. He had done good work there too, good enough that the bureau had agreed to hiring him an assistant. He knew the new assistant was coming at some point today, but he didn't know when, or who they were going to be. His "surprise me" request had been taken a little too seriously.

Kindaichi was excited to be working with someone else again. He had always had the Mystery Investigation Club flocked around him in high school, but once they graduated they had gone their separate ways. They kept up with each other and kept in touch, but it was only really by text; Kindaichi hadn't seen any of them in person for over a year.

Miyuki had gone the farthest, flying abroad to study a year after high school. She had been in America for about three semesters, and had only come back once to visit. The bonds of childhood friendship could not be broken that easily though, and Kindaichi called her often enough to not miss her too much.

Makoto had not grown out of his love of the occult or his love of mysteries, now having his own ghost hunting show on TV. The show barely had a budget though, coming on at nearly two in the morning, but Makabe Makoto had been nothing but a good friend all throughout their years of high school together, so Kindaichi still watched the show whenever he had time. It was always a good laugh, if nothing else.

Saki was the person Kindaichi texted most often; Saki was the person Kindaichi had been able to depend on for just about anything, and now that Miyuki was out of the country, companionship became included. He had become a college student fresh out of high school, and from what Kindaichi could tell he was doing incredibly well in his studies. They were in contact a few times a week, but it wasn't usually themselves they talked about. Conversation veered more into their other friends or random musings, so while Kindaichi couldn't say for sure what classes Saki had even taken, he knew his least favorite colors, or his opinions about clowns.

"Do we have any other information?" Kindaichi asked Hatakeyama. The scene itself didn't make any sense, like missing the interpretation of a piece of art. Maybe a background would help give some insight. Unfortunately, Hatakeyama shook his head.

"Aside from the estimated time of death, which was somewhere between two and three o'clock in the morning, there isn't really anything. The victims don't seem very connected--one of them isn't even in high school."

Kindaichi nodded, about to ask another question when Hatakeyama looked past him, mouth opening a little.

"Your assistant is here! I need to call Kenmochi; he was very keen on the two of you meeting each other."

That left Kindaichi confused, turning to see a young man approaching. He was short and dark haired, and when his face was close enough to be seen properly Kindaichi took in a breath so fast he almost choked on his tongue, turning away. This guy was one of the most attractive males Kindaichi had seen in a long time. And he was supposed to be working with him?

Kindaichi remembered what Hatakeyama had said about Kenmochi being excited, wondering why. He hadn't realized how attractive men could be until after high school, but he hadn't thought the old man had found out. He was dressed in the standard detective suit, which told Kindaichi that he had to be the assistant of his Hatakeyama had hired, but denial was front and foremost in Kindaichi's mind. Was this guy really his assistant? On the one hand, it would be nice if he was--it would be much easier to stare at him that way--but for that same reason, he really hoped he wasn't.

"Are you my new assistant detective?" Kindaichi asked, back still turned.

"Yes sir." Something about his voice was familiar, Kindaichi not dwelling on it too much, jumping into describing the case.

"There are four high school students and one older man, and--"

"Oh come on _senpai_, don't be like that."

The way the honorific was said, a bit whiny and a bit indignant, made Kindaichi freeze, turning slowly on his heels.

"...Saki?"

The man beamed at him, and on closer inspection, it _was_ Saki. He had traded out his round glasses for a more fashionable pair, frames darker and more rectangular, commanding attention to his eyes. His hair was no longer a light brown mess of curls, straightened and a deeper, chocolatey color. Kindaichi's knees felt weak, unable to stop himself from giving Saki an up and down glance that he hoped wasn't as obvious as he felt it was. Saki was still smiling, flicking his bangs from his eyes and making eye contact with Kindaichi, his entire body standing with an attractive self-confidence as Kindaichi tried to pick his jaw up from the floor. Saki Ryuji had gained a fashion sense, an incredible haircut, and a bucket of self-esteem while at university.

"H-hi."

"Did they not tell you I was coming?"

"Not really. I mean, I knew my assistant was coming today, but I didn't know when, or who, or... You're my new assistant? What about college? You didn't need to go to college for this."

Saki smiled. "No senpai, _you _didn't need to go to college for this, because you're incredible. This isn't actually what I went for though."

Kindaichi looked at him for a few moments, prompting out an explanation.

"I had a few ideas of why I was going to college, but when I graduated I realized that thinking through my options just brought me back to how much fun we'd had together in high school so I talked to Kenmochi, took the tests, and now I'm here."

"I..." Kindaichi felt dumb about not recognizing him now--hearing him speak and watching his mannerisms made it obvious that underneath all of the transforming and maturing Saki had gone through, he was still very much Saki. "I just didn't recognize you without a camera, that's all."

Saki laughed a little at that, lifting his arm from where is was hanging by his side, extending what was in his hand out for Kindaichi to see. He was holding a smartphone, and attached to the front of it was a camera lens. Kindaichi had heard of these devices before; it was a QX100, and he had passed them in shops once or twice.

"Nice upgrade." He remarked, making Saki smile a bit.

"Yeah, I like it. I've fallen out of the habit a little because my roommate at university the time couldn't stand me having my camera out all the time." He shrugged. "We can get to work now, if you're ready."

Right, they were in the middle of a crime scene. Kindaichi had nearly forgotten about that, looking hurriedly around the room and trying to regain at least a little bit of professionalism.

"Sure. I've already gone around, but let's do it again so you can see."

Saki held his phone up, the sight of him looking through a camera again making a wave of nostalgia wash over Kindaichi. Saki was quiet as they went, Kindaichi explaining what they were looking at to the best of his ability. It was comforting somehow, having Saki there--the familiarity of him was welcome and assuring in the confusingly decorative carnage they were walking through.

"Hey, do you want to go and get some lunch together?" Kindaichi asked. It was a good few hours past noon and all of the evidence had been packed away, being driven off to get analyzed. The invitation was partially because he truly wanted to go to lunch with Saki and partially because he wanted to get Saki away from the flock of police officers around him, asking questions that were a bit too friendly, in Kindaichi's opinion. Saki beamed at him.

"Okay!"

They ended up in a cafe close to Kindaichi's apartment, and unlike their text conversations, their talk ended up being more focused on real life, catching each other up on what they had been through. Kindaichi had just finished telling Saki about the case he had cracked before this one, involving a pogo stick and three different but identical gazelles, when Saki raised an eyebrow, taking a sip from the straw in his cup and asking

"So, what about Miyuki?"

"Miyuki?" Kindaichi asked back, wondering what it was about her that Saki was asking. Had Saki not been keeping contact with her?

Saki nodded, smiling, glancing up with his teeth around his straw, and for a second Kindaichi had trouble recalling who Miyuki even was. But the expression made the implication easy to understand, and when Kindaichi regained his wits he shook his head. Saki's face fell.

"Really? So she went to America without returning your feelings?"

"My feelings?" Kindaichi may have had a few crushs on Miyuki on and off throughout the years, but none of them had ever been strong enough to act on. He had often acted dramatic, but first and foremost they were friends, and since that friendship was more important to him than anything else, he had never seriously considered changing it. "There weren't really feelings, Saki. We're friends; that's it."

Saki squinted at him.

"Really?"

Kindaichi nodded, taking a drink through his straw. He could tell Saki wasn't quite convinced, but it was the truth.

"So senpai, if there was no Miyuki, is there anyone else?" Saki asked, eyes on his empty plate on the table. Kindaichi shrugged.

"Well... I mean, dating would distract from my work, and..."

"And maybe you're just as lame as you were in high school?" Even though Kindaichi was pretty sure Saki was kidding, his defensive side rose up anyway.

"I've been on a date or two!" He exclaimed. Saki was amused.

"And none of them worked out?" There was almost a touch of sympathy in his voice.

"Well, when you find out the guy you've been going to coffee with turns out to be the convict of the case you're working on, a breakup is to be expected."

There was silence after his statement.

"...guy?" Saki finally echoed.

"I...yeah." Kindaichi tried to laugh, but it came out sounding more strained than he had meant it. "Is that bad?"

"No, no, not at all." Saki was speaking quickly, suddenly flustered, as though his mind was somewhere else. "I'm just surprised. Guys don't have boobs, after all."

"Don't worry, I still love boobs!"

Saki did have a point though. Guys didn't have boobs, and Kindaichi did love boobs... But it was incredibly hard not to stare at Saki. Kindaichi decided to change the subject.

"So? What about you?"

"Me?" Saki seemed surprised that Kindaichi was asking about him, shaking his head. "It's a secret."

"A secret?" Kindaichi gave him an imploring look. "Please?"

Saki considered for a moment, then shook his head more insistently. Things that happened in the dorms was keen on staying in the dorms, it seemed.

"But really senpai, you dated the perpetrator of a case?"

"It's not that funny!"

The smile on Saki's face was nearly flirtatious as he raised an eyebrow.

"You've never really been good at the whole 'love' thing though."

"Don't tease me!" Kindaichi whined. The pout on his face had Saki laughing, and Kindaichi couldn't help but smile at him. He paid for lunch as it ended, walking together to the train station to head back to work.

"My apartment is only one stop away from here." Saki told him, fiddling with his QX100 lens. "Maybe we could do this again?"

"Yeah, I would like that. I mean, we will be seeing a lot of each other, won't we?"

"W-we will?" Saki asked, stumbling over the short question, his camera dropping to his side. Kindaichi became a bit confused.

"You are my new assistant, right?"

"Oh, right. At work."

Before Kindaichi could ask, Saki had his camera up in both of his hands again.

"Speaking of work senpai, any theories on the case?"

That prompting was enough for a change of subject, Kindaichi proceeding to tell Saki just how perplexed he was. At the end of the day, once all the evidence they collected had been picked over, all Kindaichi had was more questions. Getting a closer, more individual look at all the pieces was more frustrating that it was helpful. They had an astounding amount of biological evidence, but it was all from the victims--the murder weapons were absent, and the floor of the gym had even been cleaned. None of the victims were connected by anything more personal than the school they went to and their age, with the exception of the older man. The high school students weren't in any of the same clubs, had separate circles of friends, and only two of them had a class together. The only true connection the five had was that they were male, which made looking into a suspect near impossible.

The thing that struck Kindaichi most about the entire crime scene was the blue rose. It hadn't been a photograph, or even a realistic piece of art; it was a digital print, and while Kindaichi was sure he hadn't seen it before something about it nagged at the back of his mind. He couldn't fit it into any of the theories he had managed to formulate--theories that annoyed him by how flimsy they were. After three days of no progress, Kindaichi got a phone call in the middle of the night.

His cell was on the bedside table, battery charging, ringer turned up to the loudest volume in case he was needed at work after falling asleep. The white numbers on the lock screen said _4:32 AM_, Kindaichi grabbing for the device blearily. He barely registered as he answered that it was a video call, too groggy to be too surprised, holding his phone in front of his face instead of up to his ear.

"Hello?"

"You picked up."

The response was hushed and almost broken with relief, Kindaichi rubbing his eyes, squinting, trying to make sense of the shapes on the phone screen. When he realized what he was looking at he sat up in bed, terror ripping through his skin.


	2. Chapter 2

Saki was looking back at him. The one eye Kindaichi could see, his left eye, was wide, teary, and terrified through the circular lens. There was an 'X' covering where his right eye would be, the entire upper half of his head encased in a sickeningly familiar white helmet. A leather strap under his chin was padlocked on the left side, trapping Saki's head inside of the explosive device. This was a helmet that Kindaichi had seen--and worn--before, in his second year of high school when he and Miyuki had been kidnapped and forced through a series of deadly puzzles. Saki was in a room Kindaichi did not recognize, surroundings lit only by a background lamp on a bedside table.

"Saki?" Kindaichi's throat was tight in panic. "Where are you? Are you okay?"

"I..." Saki was dangerously close to hyperventilating, speaking in barely more than a whimper. "I had three minutes to call you, or else... It said... The voice said to contact the person most precious to me, and then the seconds started counting down, and you answered and it stopped..."

"Counting down?" Kindaichi asked. Saki held up his arm, and on his wrist Kindaichi could see something that looked almost like a digital clock, attached to the helmet by a wire with its digits frozen at "00:34".

"Saki, where are you?"

"The voice said if I try to tamper with anything, the helmet will explode, and if I try to leave my apartment the helmet will explode... Senpai, help me."

Saki was in his apartment, Kindaichi grateful that he had been told the address the day previously. It wasn't too far, Kindaichi running to his front door and yanking on his shoes, hoping desperately that instead of reality, he was in the middle of a horrific nightmare.

"Saki, breathe. You're going to be okay, alright? What is this voice?"

"It..." Saki took a few seconds, gulping air into his lungs. "It comes from a speaker in the helmet, it's so loud, I--"

He jumped visibly, even Kindaichi able to make out the words as scrambled, electronic speech made itself heard, blocky and segmented.

"That tripod in the living room. Do you see it? Place your phone there so he can see."

Saki looked at Kindaichi as though asking what to do.

"Do as they say." Kindaichi tried to keep his expression at least a little soothing, the unsteady picture he was getting exposing just how much Saki was shaking. He closed his apartment's front door behind him without looking, running into the night. He had to get to Saki's apartment, even if that meant on foot.

Sudden stillness showed that the phone had been placed on the stand, Saki's entire body coming into view. He was wearing boxer shorts and an oversized t-shirt, both of his hands clenched into fists.

"As soon as the first challenge ended the second one began. Two chambers in your vents and your stove burners have been turned on, filling your apartment with flammable gas. It is harmless when inhaled, but you need to make sure the lighter doesn't ignite. Since this challenge is more difficult, I've given you more time. Good luck."

The parting sentiment was followed by a loud beeping sound, signaling the commencement of the timer.

"Lighter?" Saki glanced around wildly. "I don't own... I don't see a lighter anywhere."

Kindaichi was glancing around in the frame behind Saki as he ran, trying to see something, anything. He had been called intentionally; whoever set up this trap wanted him to watch, which meant the positioning of the tripod had been intentional. The location of the second challenge had to be in his field of vision.

"Turn on more lights. It's rigged up, so it's going to look unusual, or out of place, or..." A rectangular shape hanging from the ceiling caught his eye. "Saki, what's that box behind you?"

"Box?" Saki flicked the kitchen lights on, the impersonal white lighting making Kindaichi blink.

"The ceiling."

Saki saw it, pulling up a chair and retrieving it easily from the hook it was on. He brought it close to the tripod, looking it over.

"The lighter is in here." He said, showing Kindaichi a side of the box that was made of transparent glass or plastic. The lighter took up most of the space, a small hole available for the flame to exit, something looped around the trigger to pull it when time ran out. "There's a puzzle on this side," a dial with numbers and a button, looking as though it had come off a locker, "and this."

The last side Saki showed Kindaichi looked like the part of the cup lid where a straw gets pushed through, a hole covered by four rubber flaps and big enough for a hand to fit in. Kindaichi was immediately made wary.

"Don't put your hand in there; we'll solve the puzzle side. How much time do you have?"

"Seventeen minutes."

"Just... Mess with the combination lock. See what you can find out about it."

Kindaichi was struggling to not breathe hard, taking advantage of Saki's silence to focus forwards and sprint. Saki was likely being watched, and he didn't want anyone to know he was going to the apartment. If the perpetrator was worried about the situation becoming out of hand, things could get dangerous. Or, more dangerous than they already were.

"It needs three numbers." Saki finally said, sounding as though he had not only taken the time to examine the box, but to breathe as well. "If I try for a fourth, it makes a high-pitched noise and turns back to zero. If I put in three numbers and press the button, it makes a low beep, which I guess means it's wrong."

"Three numbers, and it has to be something you know. What have you tried so far?"

"Um... '203', my apartment number, and then the first three digits of my phone number and yours... I can't think of anything else."

Kindaichi couldn't decide if the lock was a combination lock on purpose or for practicality. "Any other combination locks you know the numbers for?"

Saki sounded doubtful as he spoke, voice slow. "Just the one to my gym locker during university."

"How much time is left?"

"Thirteen minutes."

"Try that."

Saki fiddled with the lock a few times, every one of his attempts getting a negative beep in response. Adrenaline coursed hot through Kindaichi's veins as he ran, painfully aware of the time limit they were working with.

"Senpai..." Saki's voice was higher, panic creeping in again. "Senpai, there's only ten minutes left."

"I know, I know. Is there anything else the lock combination could be?"

"The only thing I can think it could be is my locker from high school, but I can't remember the numbers."

"Try mine: twenty-seven, three, fourteen."

A moment, then "It didn't work."

Kindaichi stopped moving his legs, trying to clear his mind, trying to think. They needed a different solution; they were running out of time.

"Can you toss the box outside or something?"

"Toss the box outside?" Saki repeated, the electronic voice coming back immediately.

"Any attempts to breach the perimeter of the apartment will be seen as attempts to escape and will detonate the helmet."

"Okay, no throwing it outside." Kindaichi began walking again, silent in thought. Saki's breathing was getting more frantic.

"Are there any other ways to get to the lighter?" Kindaichi asked. Saki paused.

"The glass side is too hard to break with anything, but there is this."

He showed Kindaichi the hole with the flaps again, and Kindaichi frowned. Something about it made him extremely uneasy, and he really didn't want Saki chancing putting his hand in the box.

"Are you sure you don't know any other numbers?"

"Even so senpai, there are only seven minutes. If I don't get to the lighter, I'm going to die."

"Saki--"

Before he could protest further Saki reached his hand in. Kindaichi could see his fingers wrap around the lighter, elbow bending quickly to pull his hand out fast. He stopped before his knuckles came into view, letting out a shout of pain.

"Saki?" Kindaichi asked, worry twisting his guts nauseatingly. Saki's breathing was rapid again, and Kindaichi saw four lines appearing on the top of Saki's hand, wide and shockingly red against his skin.

"There are barbs, or hooks, on the other side of the flaps, and my skin is caught..."

"Saki..." Kindaichi's urgency to get to him increased, breaking into a run again. "You need to get your hand out of there."

"It hurts."

"I know. I know it does. Try to get unstuck, and get your hand out."

"I can't."

"You can."

It was painful to watch, Kindaichi finding himself unable to look away as Saki slowly ripped his own skin, whimpering as he pulled himself free. The small helpless sounds fueled his run to Saki's apartment anew, pushing any exhaustion from his limbs. This energy wasn't charged by adrenaline sparked from fear any longer; he was angry. He was _furious_.

"...senpai." Saki was sitting on the floor, hunched over, his voice was thick with tears. "The timer stopped."

"Timer?" Kindaichi stopped again, looking intently at his phone screen. Saki held up a hand--the other hand, the one not mangled and bloody, showing the device on his wrist. _01:56_. Kindaichi let out a breath, taking a moment to realize that Saki, despite the blood pooling around the lighter still clenched in his other fist, was okay.

"The solution to the combination lock was your high school locker. It's a shame that you couldn't remember it, because looking to the past could save your life. Since you completed that challenge with time to spare, I'll cut it shorter this time."

There was a loud beep as the electronic voice ended, Saki's voice leaping up in panic.

"It started again!"

"What? What started?"

"The timer!"

"How much time?"

"Five minutes."

That was about how far from the apartment Kindaichi was, breaking again into a run.

"What am I supposed to do?" Saki asked. "They didn't give me any directions, they just said..."

"Is there anything from the past that you have in your apartment?" Kindaichi asked, trying desperately to think. "Any keepsakes, or clothes, or supplies?"

"No clothes, no supplies..." Saki began tearing his apartment apart, ripping through his closet and knocking things off shelves. Three minutes later the building of residential suites came into view, Kindaichi entering the parking lot just as Saki let out a shout.

"What?" Kindaichi asked, not bothering to attempt masking how breathless he was. "Are you okay?"

"I found it."

Saki was somewhere out of the shot, hurrying over to the tripod. He was holding up a framed photo with Miyuki, himself, and Kindaichi in the picture. Then he turned it over, and Kindaichi saw a key taped to the back.

"Congratulations. The trials are over." The voice didn't hold any emotion, no elation or disappointment, but Kindaichi could see Saki shaking.

"Wait there. I'm almost at your apartment."

"What?"

Kindaichi began climbing the stairs, rushing to room 203. He ended the video call as he opened the door, seeing Saki there, helmet on his head, one hand gripping the picture frame, the other hand cradled into his chest. Saki ran to him, pressing his body as close as possible, smearing blood on his shirt. Kindaichi didn't care, holding him just as close and breathing him in.

"Let's get this thing off of you." Kindaichi said after enough time passed for him to accept that the danger had gone. "That key is probably for the helmet."

Saki nodded, stepping back, Kindaichi taking the photo from his hand and peeling the tape off, taking the key in his hand. He turned it over, entire body freezing.

The key was a strange shape, thin at the teeth and wide at the head, wide enough to fit an engraving. An engraving of a flower--a rose, tinted blue in color. He had to get Saki out of here.

Kindaichi nearly fumbled as he fit the key into the lock under Saki's left ear, hearing it release with a click. There was an identical mechanical sound as the timer around his wrist unclasped as well, sliding off and clattering to the ground, the action followed by an incredibly loud beep from the helmet that was now in Kindaichi's hands. Saki jumped, eyes wide in fear.

"That's the sound of the timer starting." He said, stooping to pick the device up.

_00:59, 00:58, 00:57..._

"Come on!" Kindaichi grabbed Saki by the hand, jerking him from the apartment and towards the stairs. They took the steps two at a time, running so fast that Saki stumbled more than once, Kindaichi not letting either of them slow down. His suspicion--his reason for running--was confirmed as the time left ran out and a loud boom sounded behind them, high pitched ringing resonating in Kindaichi's ears as both Saki and himself were thrown forward on to the asphalt. Removing the helmet had also set off its detonator, and Saki's apartment was now a blackened mess of burning rubble.

Despite the jarring they had received Saki's hand was still tightly in his, fingers entwined and squeezing so tightly that it was almost painful. Kindaichi worked on sitting up, hearing a groan as Saki did the same. The sky was turning pale, the ringing in Kindaichi's ears fading as he met Saki's eyes.

"Let's go to my place." was all Kindaichi could think to say. Saki nodded wordlessly, dropping Kindaichi's hand as he stood, silent for the duration of the trip home.


	3. Chapter 3

"Hey, I know we're in the middle of a case, but I'm going to have to ask for an off day for both Saki Ryuji and myself."

They had arrived home about two hours ago. Saki had wrapped his hand in his sleep shirt during their walk, the fabric now completely soaked in blood and sitting at the bottom of Kindaichi's trash can. The wound, startlingly jagged and deep, had since been cleaned and bandaged, Saki in a pair of Kindaichi's underwear and basketball shorts, wrapped up in both an oversized sweater and a blanket, sitting in a ball on the couch. He was taking care of the light scrapes he had acquired from falling in the parking lot, Kindaichi saying he would make them both tea and using the offer as an escape to call work. Saki had said he was fine to go in, but Kindaichi knew he was lying through his teeth; nobody was fine after an experience like that.

"Why, if you don't mind me asking?" Hatakeyama said, the question already indicating his consent. Kindaichi paused, wondering what he should say, and in his silence the older man grew flustered.

"It's protocol to ask, but if it's... If it's something more... Personal, then I can just--"

"No, nothing like that." He paused again, unsure. Judging by the rose on the key, what happened pertained somehow to the case they were currently immersed in, so Kindaichi began to explain.

"When I was in high school there was a case we worked on with 3D glasses and a hostess, Miyuki and I got kidnapped... Do you remember?"

Hatakeyama was quiet for a bit, slowly saying "I think so, why?"

"Someone broke into Saki's apartment and put one of the explosive helmets on him. We got through the puzzles and he's okay physically, but his apartment exploded and we're both a little shaken up."

Hatakeyama spluttered as he tried to take in what Kindaichi said.

"Y-yeah, take as much time as you need. Should we send a crew to the apartment building?"

"Definitely. See if there's anything you can salvage. Look out for a box with one glass side and a key, if you can."

"Okay. Where will Saki be staying? Should we station a police officer with him?"

"Not yet. He'll be with me today, and we can talk about the officer with him some other time. Keep me updated."

"You too."

Kindaichi said a farewell and hung up, the water for the tea now boiling. He made the tea quickly, carrying one cup in each hand into the living room. Saki had finished with the first aid kit, lying down on his side and cocooned tightly in the blanket, taking up two of the three seat cushions on the couch. He slowly sat up when Kindaichi approached, reaching out for the tea. Kindaichi handed it over, sitting down next to him.

"How does your hand feel?"

"It hurts a little." Saki admitted. "I think the painkillers just haven't fully kicked in yet, though."

Once the gravel had been cleaned from the stripes of ripped skin Kindaichi had covered the injury in ointment, gauze, and bandages, giving Saki as many painkillers as was safe, according to the dosage information. He planned on taking the younger man to a hospital as soon as he was feeling up to it.

"And how do you feel?"

"I..." Saki brought his cup down and rested it on his lap, both hands curled around it. "I don't really know. I think I want to try sleeping for a bit."

"Oh." Saki didn't want to talk. Kindaichi understood, getting to his feet. "I'll go and get you a pillow, okay?"

Saki nodded, looking a little surprised by the offer. Kindaichi grabbed one off the top of his bed, fluffing it up a little and trying to make Saki smile with a dramatic gesture as he handed it over.

"Here."

It didn't quite work, Saki casting his eyes down and curling up tightly in the blanket again.

"Thank you."

Kindaichi turned to go into a different room, not wanting to bother him, stopped in his tracks when Saki spoke up again.

"Um... Could you stay here with me? I don't want to be alone."

He looked slightly desperate, Kindaichi smiling in what he hoped was a reassuring way and sitting on the third couch cushion again.

"Sure."

Saki fell asleep quickly, something Kindaichi was not surprised about; exhaustion from the event showed in everything he said and did. However, it left Kindaichi to his thoughts, thoughts that were unkind and unwelcome.

Saki had not been meant to survive what happened, Kindaichi was sure. He was supposed to get through all of the puzzles--the alternate way to solve the second challenge was evidence enough of that--but the fact that the helmet had been detonated once everything was over meant that Kindaichi was supposed to have watched Saki's death, both of their guards supposed to be down after the end of the final challenge.

Who was doing this, and why? The more he was seeing of this blue rose, the more confused he was becoming. The symbol was the only thing connecting two seemingly unrelated events, the killings of five males in a high school gymnasium and Saki's apartment exploding.

No, that wasn't true. There was one more thing connecting them, Kindaichi realized: Saki Ryuji. The first blue rose had appeared the day he was scheduled to start as Kindaichi's assistant, almost like a warning. Saki was being targeted and, judging by the fact that Kindaichi was who the timer stopped for when Saki had been told to call someone, he was meant to watch.

The focus being drawn to the past made Kindaichi confused on why Saki was the target. Was it simply out of convenience? In high school it had always been Kindaichi and Miyuki that were together, in the same classes, and mistaken for a couple by the students and staff. Would she have been the one with the helmet on her head if she wasn't in America? Or was it something else?

Feeling unnerved, Kindaichi pulled out his cell phone.

_ To: Miyuki  
_ _ Hey_

_ From: Miyuki  
_ _ Hi! What's up?_

Her quick reply made him breathe a small sigh of relief, feeling silly for even worrying.

_ To: Miyuki  
_ _ Nothing really. I just wanted to see how you were doing, that's all._

_ From: Miyuki  
_ _ I'm okay, though I do have some tests coming up. Are you doing okay? This isn't like you._

_ To: Miyuki  
_ _ I'm fine, don't worry._

_ From: Miyuki  
_ _ Okay, Hajime-chan. I'll call you later if you want, but I've got to go to class!_

Kindaichi smiled a little, locking his phone and placing it in his lap. It was only there for a few moments before he picked it up again, sending a short greeting to Makoto. He ended up sending similar messages to Kurosawa Miho, Tsuji Hayato, and Hoshino Kanae, the three other members of the Mystery Investigation club. Only Makoto and Hoshino answered however, due to how early in the morning it was, Hoshino in the middle of a video gaming tournament and Makoto filming an episode for his show and so buzzed up on caffeine that he could barely type. Kindaichi's need for contact surprised him, realizing he had been more shaken up by what happened than he had first thought. In high school, when he was put through anything similar, he always had people around him, their mere presences helping him feel okay again. He resolved to take time later in the day to contact Kenmochi.

It took four hours for Saki to even stir, Kindaichi debating getting up and making something to eat when Saki, still asleep, brought both hands up under his left ear and began scratching at his skin, small noises of discomfort rising in his throat.

_That was where the lock on the helmet had been,_ Kindaichi realized. _He's dreaming._

He reached down hesitantly, gently shaking Saki's shoulder. That was all it took, the younger man sitting up fast and looking around.

"It was a dream." Kindaichi told him. "It's okay. You're okay."

Saki relaxed, closing his eyed and resting his head against the back of the couch. Then he opened his eyes again, confusion slowly growing on his face as he glanced over at Kindaichi, brows furrowed.

"What about work?"

"We're taking the day off." Kindaichi told him, smiling. "We're taking as many days off as you want. Are you hungry?"

Saki's movements were slow, Kindaichi amused as he watched him wake up, squinting and picking his glasses up off the side table next to where his head had been.

"I... Sure."

Before too long they were seated at Kindaichi's kitchen table, two sandwiches between them. Kindaichi was halfway through his when Saki spoke up.

"All of my stuff is gone. I don't have anywhere to stay."

Kindaichi met his eyes, surprised. He hadn't even realized that, but it was true; all of Saki's property had been destroyed.

"You can stay here." Kindaichi found himself too embarrassed to look Saki in the face, feigning an incredible interest in the food on his plate. "You can stay here as long as you want to."

"Thank you." Saki's voice had gone soft, forcing Kindaichi to look at him. He was smiling, the expression a mix of relief, apology, and something that looked almost like affection.

They spent the day together, not doing much, taking Saki to a clinic before going out for dinner. They took the next day off as well, using it to get Saki's debit card replaced, then go shopping. Saki wanted to buy clothes, apologizing for wearing so many of Kindaichi's outfits, but Kindaichi discouraged it--they were the about same size after all, and it didn't bother him; he liked the way Saki looked in his clothes.

They got a call from Hatakeyama in the middle of their shopping adventure, the man a bringer of unfortunate news. The explosion had ripped apart just about everything, but the few pieces of things they had were in the process of being analyzed. He told them not to get their hopes up though, because none of it looked too promising in the way of helping the case. Kindaichi thanked him for the update--he had expected as much--saying they were planning on seeing him soon and hanging up. Saki did spend a while being put out about the news, but the strange expression on the cashier's face as he scanned twelve pairs of underwear, a video camera, and a painfully cheap flip phone were enough to brighten his mood a bit.

The day after that they took their time waking up, Kindaichi asking him over ten o'clock breakfast how he felt about going to work. A little over an hour later Saki was in one of Kindaichi's work suits and they were on the train, heading to police headquarters. Hatakeyama was surprised to hear that they were coming, and they discovered upon their return that the entire bureau heard about what had happened and all had gifts for Saki. Some of it was simply cash and some of it was stuff he could or would need, like sets of chopsticks or a spatula. Saki was reduced to surprised, happy tears, stuttering out "thank you"s as he clung to Kindaichi's shirt. Saki Ryuji was adorable, Kindaichi found himself realizing. Along with the gifts though came the slightly disappointing news that Saki had resolved to move out as soon as he could, confessing over lunch that despite what Kindaichi had said, he still felt like a bit of a bother. Kindaichi's insistences over work that day that he wasn't didn't sway the assistant's determination much.

Only a handful of things were salvaged from Saki's apartment by the investigation team. Thankfully, the two things Kindaichi had been most interested in getting a closer look at were on the evidence table when they went inside; the key and the box. The box wasn't quite a box anymore--only two of the sides remained. The glass was still there, incredibly thicker than it had looked and cracked. The adjacent side was made of metal and slightly warped, looking as though it had been connected to the side with the flaps. Obviously, the rubber flaps had melted away, but there were four hooked chains attached--what Saki had dragged his hand through. It reminded him of barbed wire, and when Saki saw it he averted his eyes, glancing to his bandaged hand. Kindaichi winced.

The key was on the table next to the box, not looking much like a key anymore. The thin end had melted away, leaving behind only the head, but that was fine; that was the part of the key that mattered.

"Senpai... This looks like the rose from the projector." Saki said, picking the key up and turning it in his hand. "Is this the same key that unlocked my helmet?"

"I think so." Kindaichi answered. "I don't really know what it means, though."

Saki nodded, placing the key back down.

"Could it mean someone is going after me?"

"No." Kindaichi shook his head, hoping he hadn't answered too quickly. He didn't want Saki to worry. "If they're targeting anyone, it would be me. My new assistant could have been anyone."

Saki nodded after a few moments, albeit hesitantly. "Okay."

The next few days were uneventful. A day after returning to work they were sidetracked into an unrelated, poorly constructed locked room murder case that only took two days, and was solved largely by Saki himself, thanks to how distracted Kindaichi felt. No progress was made on the Blue Rose case, which to Kindaichi was frustrating, but because of the standstill Saki's nightmares stopped, and that he was grateful for. It made him wonder if Saki had ever had nightmares in high school, and just had never told him. He hoped not.


	4. Chapter 4

"Something's happened."

Hatakeyama's voice wasn't urgent enough to make Kindaichi jump out of bed but he did sit up, trying his hardest to get his eyes open.

"What is it? Is it related to the case?"

There was a pause on the other line, Hatakeyama finally admitting

"We don't know. But I thought I should alert you, since it occurred in an area where you had a case before. The similarity with what you told me about the past--about happened with Saki--reminded me."

That had Kindaichi getting up immediately, holding his phone to his ear with his shoulder as he stumbled out of bed, opening his closet.

"We'll be there soon." He promised. The reference to the past ended up being much less obvious than Kindaichi thought it would be, Hatakeyama's memory impressing him.

"Two dead bodies were found on Shiranuhi Island." The chief detective began when Kindaichi and Saki entered his office. He got two blank looks in response.

"...Shiranuhi Island?" Saki finally echoed. It took Kindaichi a few moments to place the area, putting a hand on Saki's shoulder when he did.

"Oh! Saki, Saki, that's where we had our internship with Fudou General Hospital."

"The place with the Fire Demons?"

Kindaichi nodded. "What happened?" He asked Hatakeyama.

"Well, after the caretaker Tsukahara Denzo died, a woman was put in charge of making sure the place was cleaned and kept after. The place closed for business after what happened when you were there, so nobody really goes there anymore. She only shows up once a month to clean the house and trim the vegetation and whatever else needs doing, and this time when she went there were two corpses."

"Two corpses?"

Two people were how many had truly died when Kindaichi had solved a case there--two sons of doctors from Fudou Hospital. There had been three crime scenes, but one of the victims had ended up actually being the perpetrator.

"Yes. We don't have much information since her phone call was vague and we haven't visited island yet, but we were told that the corpses aren't heavily decayed. She arrived this morning for her routine cleaning and found them."

"They can't be old at all then." Saki said, voice slow and thoughtful. "Was the caretaker the only one that visited the island?"

"That's what we're told." Hatakeyama answered. "She's our prime suspect."

Kindaichi shook his head. "Her being the murderer doesn't make sense. She's the only person that goes to that island anymore, so calling the police if she were trying to get away with the murders wouldn't be smart. Whoever did it knew when she was coming and wanted her to find the bodies."

"Or wanted you to find them, senpai."

Grim silence followed Saki's statement, Hatakeyama finally saying

"We have permission and available transport, if you two want to head down to the island."

Going to the island this time was much less lighthearted than the trip there for the internship had been, but nevertheless Kindaichi found himself smiling a little at the memory. Showing Saki the energy drinks he had packed and even his underwear, talking about how they would film the whole trip... It had all been ridiculous, undoubtedly, but it had all been fun as well.

"What's that expression about?" Saki asked, causing Kindaichi to look at him. He had his camera up to his eye, a small smile on his face. "I'm going to be filming you the entire time, you know."

"Me?" Kindaichi laughed. "Isn't that a waste of space on your camera?"

"You? A waste of space? Never." Regardless, Saki put the camera in his lap. "Do you think this is connected to the first murders, and to what happened to me?"

"I really don't know." Kindaichi admitted. "I feel like it is though. The caretaker claims not to know the men, and since the island is completely closed for business there's no other reason for the bodies to be there. It all feels like another reference to the past, like what happened to you. So yeah, I guess. I do."

Saki nodded, mouth set in a line. "The whole 'past' thing only really connects what happened to me with what happened today, but what about the first instance with the blue rose, in the school gymnasium? How does that fit in?"

Kindaichi frowned. "So far, it doesn't. The scene we're about to investigate might have a blue rose, or..." He faded into thought, Saki picking up his camera again and looking through the viewfinder.

They were met by the caretaker then they arrived, a young and very shaken up woman. Hatakeyama went to her immediately, ready to ask questions, Kindaichi telling him that they were headed down to the crime scene. They got a nod and a wave that Kindaichi assumed was acknowledgement and permission, and after lightly touching Saki's arm, he led the way down to the lodge.

The first body was outside, Kindaichi freezing when he saw the corpse through the tall, uncut grass. It was laying in the garden on its back, a man looking to be in his early thirties. He had on glasses, a bright red shirt, and a pair of dark blue jeans, bruises from asphyxiation decorating his neck in blues, reds, and purples. The whole scene was sickeningly familiar, except for one thing.

"Senpai, what does his name tag say?"

The man had a name tag pinned to his shirt, Kindaichi furrowing his eyebrows. 

"Morimura Kei...ichi?" He sounded through it slowly, frowning. "Saki, is that name familiar to you? Is it the name of the victim?"

Saki shrugged apologetically. "Hatakeyama brought the case file from the last time we were here with him, do you want me to go get it?"

"That would be great, thanks."

Saki dashed off, back quickly with news.

"Morimura Keiichi isn't the name of this victim; it's the name of the first person that died in this exact spot last time, the son of the hospital's president."

Kindaichi confirmed Saki's statement with a glance through the manila folder he had run up with, closing it and pursing his lips.

"There's no blue rose here."

"Really?" Saki was surprised, looking over the scene through his camera. "Wow senpai, you're right.”

"Maybe it's at a different scene. It could be at whatever they consider to be the last one, since Morimura was the first person who died."

"Should we check the chapel then?" Saki asked. His voice held a tone of doubt, and Kindaichi understood why--the chapel was where Shiina Makio hung himself, but he never actually died. Still though, it could be considered a crime scene.

"Sure. It can't hurt."

Nodding, Saki led the way, filming as he walked. He stopped in front of the door, stepping back slightly. The invitation was obvious, Kindaichi taking a breath and preparing himself to see just about anything as he pushed the door slowly open.

Thankfully, the chapel was empty. There was a collective sigh of relief at the sight of the high ceilings, the stream of light through the window completely unbroken. Kindaichi nodded to himself.

"Hatakeyama did say were only two bodies, so that makes sense. Want to go check the other room?"

Saki nodded, Kindaichi opening up the file as he walked, checking the name of the last victim. _Kato Kentaro._

Sure enough, there was a man hanging there, name tag on his chest, his face holding a slight likeness to Kato Kentaro that startled Kindaichi. He wanted to get the victim down, but the forensics team needed the scene untouched. Kindaichi didn't like to think about his relationship with Kato Kentaro, about the man's reckless terror after Shiina was found, about how Kindaichi had been approached in desperation, in the hope that he might be able to save him, and about how in the end, he couldn't.

"There's no blue rose here either, senpai."

Saki's voice pulled him from his thoughts, the assistant looking closely around the room, leaning close and zooming on particular objects. Kindaichi had to confirm that for himself, and when he did he simply stood there, crossing his arms.

It didn't make sense. There had to be a blue rose here. It was too obvious to be anything but a tribute to the past case--there had to be _something_.

Hatakeyama was also confused when Kindaichi relayed the news to him, frowning.

"These crimes can't be unrelated." He said. "Maybe the rose isn't in an obvious place? There are gardens around here. You two look around while the forensics crew get started on the crime scenes."

Kindaichi nodded, and that was exactly what they did, scouring the island, Saki filming, talking through ideas together as they walked. It was after five in the evening when their lap around the piece of land was finished, Kindaichi returning to Hatakeyama empty handed and slightly frustrated. The entire lodge was buzzing with an irritated energy, and it didn't take long to figure out why.

"It's going to rain." Hatakeyama reported shortly. "It's going to start storming tonight, and not stop until sometime in the middle of tomorrow morning. Not only is the Morimura Keiichi crime scene going to be ruined, but we can't go home until it's over to not chance compromising any other evidence."

"...we have to stay here?" Kindaichi asked, slightly disbelieving. Hatakeyama nodded.

"We don’t have to, but it would be for the best. We're probably not going to be done here until the sun sets anyway. We have permission to sleep in the rooms in the lodge, so we might as well. I know, I don't like it either."

"Saki!" Kindaichi turned to his friend with a smile. "It looks like we have first pick; do you want to go choose yourself a room?"

"Sure." Saki smiled back, exiting the room. Kindaichi whirled on Hatakeyama.

"We cannot stay here. Saki might be in danger, and if the person that killed these two men is still on the island, then--"

"Then you'll stay in Saki's room with him, and we'll post guards outside. If they're still here, we'll catch them. I'm sorry Kindaichi, but this is what we are going to do."

Kindaichi knew that it would be fruitless to argue, letting out a long breath. "Can I look at the case file?"

"The old one?" At his confirming nod, Hatakeyama handed the old folder over. "Call me if you think of anything. I really am sorry."

Kindaichi just nodded, leaving the room. He spent a good amount of time walking around the lodge, revisiting the rooms and familiarizing himself with the building again. When the night fell he looked around for Saki, finding him in the upstairs rooms as far from Kato Kentaro's room as he possible. Kindaichi strolled in after Saki opened the door, sitting heavily enough on the bed to make himself bounce a little.

"Can I stay with you?" he asked. "The only room left is the Cape Myrtle room, and I don't want to sleep in there. The fire demons might get me. I'll sleep on the floor; you won't even know I'm here, I promise."

Saki laughed at his imploring expression, sitting down next to him. "Sure senpai, you can sleep in here. You don't have to be on the floor if you don't want to, I don't mind."

Kindaichi suppressed a grin, bumping Saki's shoulder with his own. "I got the old file from Hatakeyama, so while we're stuck here we can try to think of something."

Saki gave him a doubtful look. "We tried that earlier, senpai. I just don't understand how there isn't a rose here. If the gymnasium murders are case one and what happened to me is case two, then this--case three--is barely related. The rose connected the first case to the second one, and the helmet and the name tags connect the second case to the third one, but the third case doesn't go back to the first one at all one at all. The two of them have roses, and two of them have stuff from when we were in high school. Could this today have been done by someone else?"

Kindaichi pressed his lips together, laying down on the bed so that his shoulder touched the wall.

"It could, but..." He opened the folder again, frowning. He was brought back to what the perpetrator had told Saki for the last trial, the trial to find the key to get the helmet off. _Looking to the past could save your life._ "I feel like all three are the same person."

"Well..." Saki looked slightly doubtful, scooting on to the mattress to lie down next to him. "If so, there has to be something connecting the first and third cases, right? We didn't find a blue rose here, which makes me doubtful that there even is one--we looked everywhere--so to make that work the first case would have to connect to the past somehow."

"There were five victims, four of them were high school students, film, and mannequins... What are some cases that happened at a high school?"

"At a high school while we were in high school?" Saki was speaking slowly, something he always did while he was thinking. Kindaichi nodded, his hair shifting against his pillow. "Five victims, film..." He sat up so fast he nearly fell off the bed, Kindaichi grabbing his shoulder and waist to steady him.

"The film club, remember? With the Scorpion short film!"

"Scorpion?" When Kindaichi remembered, he nearly let go of Saki, the younger letting out a shout and scrambling on the mattress for better leverage. "Scorpion the murderer, right?"

Saki nodded, but after another moment of thought he frowned. "No, sorry; there were only four victims of that case, weren't there?"

Kindaichi realized Saki was right, then wrong again within a matter of moments, sitting up quickly, facing Saki on the bed and crossing his legs.

"One of the victims in the first case wasn't in a school uniform, and had a depression on the back of his head; the man that started the Scorpion murder case--the perpetrator's older brother--fell off of the roof of a building. It was a recreation of the same thing."

Saki's mouth fell open a little, and if Kindaichi weren't so excited about what they had just realized, he would have smiled at how endearing his awe was.

"How do the other victims from the first case fit?"

They had to think to remember them all, but once they had Kindaichi couldn't believe he hadn't realized it before. The victim with strips of film around him had been made to look like Izumiya Shigeki, the first boy they had found dead, hanging by strips of film above the gymnasium stage; the boy stood up with the mannequins was representing Sanada Koji, the boy Kindaichi himself had found among the club's stunt dummies; the victim stabbed in the chest was posed to look like Kadowaki Yasuhiro, and the boy in the chair in the middle of the room, poisoned and next to the film projector, was obviously Kurasawa Hikaru, the boy that was the grandfather of the famous Kurasawa Akira. The killer had managed to make the scene vague enough to not be immediately recognized, but with enough hints that if it was figured out, it would all fit together.

They spoke through it multiple times, reconfirming the connection to it all, and eventually excitement from the realization began to die down. Saki was obviously growing tired, Kindaichi feeling the dull ache of exhaustion as well. They laid back down, Saki removing his glasses and placing them on the bedside table next to him, curling his body in towards Kindaichi's side. When he spoke up he mumbled, his scared tone making something in Kindaichi's chest still for a moment.

"Do you think someone is after me? Tell me honestly."

"Honestly... I don't know." Honestly, Kindaichi didn't want that fear in Saki's voice, and if that meant not telling him the whole truth, then that's what he would do. "Don't worry, okay? If someone is, I won't let anything happen to you. I'll keep you safe, I promise."

"I know you will. You always have." Saki's forehead rested lightly against Kindaichi's shoulder, the touch gentle and assured, something clenching so tightly in Kindaichi's stomach that he couldn't stop a small, quick intake of breath.

If the feeling meant what he thought it did, then he liked Saki Ryuji, more than he thought he had, and more than a friend. Kindaichi resisted the urge to shake his head. He couldn't like Saki; he didn't want to like him, not now, not when both of them were being targeted. His feelings would have to wait... It would all have to wait. At least until whoever it was stopped killing people and leaving blue roses all over the place. And then maybe longer--the thought of telling Saki already had a nerves pooling in his chest.

_Wait... Blue roses?_

Maybe it was all of the recollecting they had done, bouncing memories off each other, but the flowers suddenly were painfully familiar. Kindaichi struggled to think, feeling inexplicably, incredibly drowsy, unable even to keep his eyes open. Fighting sleep was giving him a slight headache, so without too much of a struggle he simply relaxed and let sleep take him.


	5. Chapter 5

The bed was cold when Kindaichi woke, the air feeling damp from the overnight rain. It made him feel groggy and a little gross, scrunching his face up as he pulled his body into a sitting position, running his hands through his hair. The first thing he noticed when he finally opened his eyes was that Saki wasn't in the room, not lying next to him like he had been the night before, and he couldn't help the slight disappointment in his chest. Saki was probably downstairs, eating breakfast or something, Kindaichi resolving to get out of bed and find him.

Hatakeyama was the first person Kindaichi saw on his way down the stairs, giving him a morning greeting. "It's rather late, is Saki awake yet?"

"Saki?" Kindaichi blinked a few times, trying harder to wake up. "Saki... Is he not downstairs? He's not in his room."

Hatakeyama shook his head, the beginnings of a frown on his face. "None of us have seen him. We were surprised that the two of you were still sleeping, but..." he coughed. "I told everyone not to disturb you both."

Kindaichi could feel his stomach twisting, fear creeping into his lungs. "What about the guards you posted? Didn't they see anything?"

"Not anything that they deemed worthy to report. You were with him when he fell asleep, right?"

Kindaichi nodded. He thought he had been. Saki had fallen asleep before him, hadn't he? Honestly, his head felt hazy, those memories before falling asleep difficult to recollect.

"Have you looked around for him? He could just be upstairs. I'll ask if anyone has seen him leaving the lodge."

Kindaichi nodded, already turning to go back up with Hatakeyama caught his arm.

"I'm sure he's fine. Alright?"

Kindaichi couldn't find it in himself to agree with his superior, simply looking at him until Hatakeyama let go and began in the direction of the policemen stationed at the doors.

The upstairs search did nothing but make him more anxious. All of the bathrooms were empty; the only room on the entire floor with anyone in it was Kato Kentaro's, the victim still in an unzipped body bag. Saki's clothes were untouched, meaning that wherever the assistant was, he had gone there in his pajamas. That was confusing on its own, but then Kindaichi noticed Saki's video camera, off and sitting on the bedside table. Saki never went anywhere without his camera.

It was when Hatakeyama approached him with a solemn head shake, confirming that no one had seen Saki leave, that Kindaichi truly began to feel sick. Saki wasn't in the lodge, but no one had seen him leave, either. He could have snuck out, sure, but he had no reason to. He definitely would have told someone, especially since his fear of being targeted was still there. He had to have been taken by someone, but where?

Kindaichi only had to think for a few seconds before he was out of the front door at a sprint. There was one more person that had intended to die here last time, and a blue rose hadn't appeared yet... Because Kato Kentaro's room wasn't the final crime scene. There was still Shiina Makio, inside the chapel.

Kindaichi gripped the doorknob and yanked the door open, his heart pounding so hard and so high up in his throat that he felt if he took too deep of a breath, he would choke.

The first thing he saw was a large blue rose, printed on paper, the paper taped to Saki's back. Saki was hanging from the ceiling, rope wrapped around his neck, body turned away from the door.

"Oh god." Came a disbelieving murmur from behind Kindaichi--Hatakeyama had followed, the chief detective putting a hand over his mouth.

"SAKI!" Kindaichi ran around to the front of him, his fingernails digging deep into the palms of his hands. This felt like it couldn't be happening, too twisted and horrible and devastating to be real, and yet there it was, in front of him. Morning light was streaming down from the high back window, illuminating Saki's calm face and closed eyes. He hadn't moved at all when Kindaichi had shouted, and Kindaichi felt lightheaded, his stomach tight with fear.

"Saki, Saki..." Kindaichi glanced around wildly, eyes catching immediately on the ladder against the wall. He propped it up hastily, running up two rungs at a time.

"I'm... I'm going to get him down." Kindaichi said. Hatakeyama's face was grim, but he nodded, walking under where Saki was hanging and holding his arms up, waiting and ready. Kindaichi clenched his jaw tightly, unsure if he wanted to look at Saki or not as he lowered the young man down. He let go when Hatakeyama's arms were around Saki's middle,unable to find the energy to get down just yet. He wanted to scream, he wanted to cry, but all he could do was stand there, numb, looking at the limp body in Hatakeyama's arms. Then the older man let out a shout, looking at Kindaichi in surprise.

"Kindaichi... He's breathing. He's alive."

Kindaichi nearly fell off the ladder then, gripping hard on the ceiling beam in front of him as his knees went weak. Hatakeyama unzipped the jacket Saki had on to reveal an intricate brace made from the rope around his neck, creating the illusion of a hanging while holding his body safely. Just like Shiina Makio.

The incredible reliefmade Kindaichi realize just how high up he was. He had climbed the ladder without a thought, and the ladder wasn't even propped securely on the beams. He climbed down gingerly, body shaking for more reasons than one, and as soon as his feet touched the ground Saki began to stir.

"Senpai...?" He was groggy, disoriented, and confused, but he was alive, andwhen Saki found him with his eyes Kindaichi couldn't hold in a choked cry of relief, his body weak all over again, falling on his knees next to Saki and pulling him into a tight hug.

"Senpai? Where... What?"

"You're okay." Kindaichi took a few needed deep breaths, trying to feel the warm, breathing, living body in his arms and convince himself for sure that this was real. Then he stopped, pulling back and looking over Saki at arm's length. "You are okay, right?"

"Yeah, I'm fine..." Saki was just looking at him, extremely concerned. "I feel a little sluggish and hazy, but nothing hurts." He gave himself a once over, and Kindaichi could see him putting the pieces together. "I... Was I hanging? Like Shiina?"

Kindaichi nodded reluctantly, knowing full well that it solidified Saki's suspicion as a target for the Blue Rose Killer. Saki didn't say anything back, simply pushing closer and replacing himself in Kindaichi's arms. Kindaichi held him, pulling the paper with rose off of his back and extending it to Hatakeyama, the man reaching down and taking it from him.

"I didn't want to be here overnight because I knew something could happen, but Hatakeyama said we were staying... I slept in your room with you and there were guards at every door, including the one to your bedroom, but... I'm sorry Saki, I said I would protect you, but--"

"Hey." Saki spoke up, voice soft, Kindaichi freezing immediately. "You did everything you could, and I'm still alive, aren't I? Besides, by the way I'm feeling right now... It feels like last time. I think we were drugged."

"Chief!" One of the policemen ran in, out of breath and looking urgent. He paused for a second at the sight of Kindaichi and Saki on the floor, then turned to Hatakeyama and relayed his message.

"The caretaker is gone!"

"...gone?" Hatakeyama echoed, slightly disbelieving.

"Her room is empty, she isn't in the house, we've searched the island--"

"We're searching again." Hatakeyama declared, already halfway out the door. "This is an island, god damn it, she can't just up and disappear."

Somehow though she had up and disappeared, Hatakeyama fuming silently the entire ride back. Saki was sitting next to Kindaichi instead of across from him, his camera in his lap, looking at the rose piece of paper.

"I don't know about this because I was dozing off at the time, but something about the roses--and that they're _blue_ roses--is familiar." Kindaichi said, Saki's private chain of thought broken as he spoke up.

"Well senpai, blue roses don't actually exist in nature."

"It could have just been whatever knocked us out." Kindaichi said quickly, trying to emphasize that his idea wasn't a serious one. "I don't know if--" He froze, remembering. Blue roses didn't exist in nature... Which was what made the gathering at the Roscrucian Mansion such an elite event. A display of the first genetically engineered blue roses... And a death trap by Misaki Giselle, Takato Yoichi's younger sister.

When Kindaichi told Saki, his mouth fell open.

"How did I not remember that?" He asked, stunned. "Those were some of the most terrifying days of my life, knowing you were trapped in a house with Hell's Puppeteer and his sibling. I was so worried about you."

"I know you were." Kindaichi said with a laugh. "You came to the rescue a day early, remember?"

Saki scrunched up his face, giving Kindaichi a look before glancing away.

"Do you really think it's her, senpai? Wasn't she arrested?"

Kindaichi frowned. "She was," he agreed with a nod "but so was Takato, and he escaped again less than a month later. I do think someone would have told me though, if she did get out. Wouldn't they?"

Saki nodded. "Still though..."

Kindaichi nodded. Still though was right; he did need to check. Despite the blue rose connection, for some reason he was doubtful. He couldn't see where Misaki Giselle was getting motive. He had placed her behind bars, but she hasn't seemed vengeful or angry about it. She had already gotten the revenge she wanted, tearful and nearly suicidal when he had unraveled her plan. Besides, she was extremely well versed in the language of flowers, and because of that the blue roses simply felt _wrong_.

In literature, blue roses were a symbol of youth, and because of the nature of their existence--or rather, lack thereof--they granted wishes to their obtainer. To say that the blue roses were only being used to connect the cases to the past was not only oversimplified, it was but overkill; there were enough blatantly obvious connections already. There was a message being sent, and if any rose were to send that message, Kindaichi knew it would instead be a black one. Black roses, the representation of death, revenge, and evil.

Kindaichi called the detention center as soon as they got home, sitting on the couch, Saki heading into the kitchen. When he asked about the status of Misaki Giselle, he got surprise in response.

"I can't believe there's been cause to ask about her; she's been displaying excellent behavior. What is it you need?"

"Not much, I just need a confirmation that she's still here."

"Still here?" There was a pause, the click of a few computer keys, then the man was back. "Yes, it says here that she reported for breakfast, then returned to her cell."

That wasn't quite enough for Kindaichi to be sure, hoping he didn't sound like too much of a bother as he said "Could you confirm that, please?"

"Confirm it?"

"Yes."

A sigh came after his response but the man on the other line didn't protest, telling Kindaichi he was being put on hold. While the other end was silent Kindaichi tried to look into the open doorway to the kitchen, curious about what Saki was up to. The attempt was fruitless, Kindaichi turning all the way around and calling to him instead.

"Saki? What are you doing?"

Saki popped his head into the living room, his bangs up in a clip and a huge pan in hand, smiling.

"Just making dinner; are you hungry senpai?"

Kindaichi couldn't keep a smile off his face, Saki looking at him suspiciously.

"What?"

Shaking his head at the question, Kindaichi held just held his phone back up to his ear. "It's nothing. Thanks Saki."

Saki smiled back, disappearing around the corner again just as Kindaichi was taken off hold.

"She's here." The man said. "I can't put her on the phone for you, but I'm looking right at her. Misaki Giselle. Is there anything else you need?"

"No, that was all. Thank you."

Goodbyes were exchanged, Kindaichi hanging up with a sigh. His doubts had been confirmed, but even so it was discouraging. That had been the only palpable perpetrator theory they had been able to formulate, and now that it had been dashed they were back to square one. He stood, putting his phone in his pocket and walking into the kitchen.

"Hey, do you want any help?"

Kindaichi told Saki about his phone call while dinner was made, and by the time they were sitting down, they had come to the conclusion that whoever was committing the crimes was some sort of imposter.

"But why?" Saki asked, frowning at the food on his plate. "Why are they doing this? What does an imposter want me for?"

"I don't know." Kindaichi admitted. "That's only something we can find out when we know who it is."

Saki nodded, quiet for a moment.

"I'm moving out tomorrow." He said. "I'm going to stay in a hotel for a few days while I sort out where I want to move permanently, and how I'm buying all of my new furniture. Hotels are already furnished, and this one is cheap and close to work, and..."

"Are you sure?" The last thing Kindaichi wanted was for Saki to be somewhere, afraid and alone. "You know, after what happened."

"I'll be fine senpai." Saki smiled at him. "Besides, it's about time I stopped burdening you, isn't it?"

"You're not, really." Kindaichi knew Saki wasn't going to agree, so he didn't try to push again for Saki to stay. He didn't want to let him out of his sight yet though, offering "I'll help you move your stuff in."

"I don't have any stuff." Saki said with a laugh. "Remember? That's why I need a new place to live."

"Right. Um. I'll help you get situated then, if you want."

Saki raised an eyebrow, and Kindaichi could tell his plan to be simply a friend with no ulterior motives had been completely seen through. That wasn't commented on though, Saki simply agreeing.

"If you want to, senpai. Besides, the hotel is putting on an event in the lobby, with balloons and face painting and stuff; I think they have a hypnosis show happening tomorrow night too. You like that kind of stuff, right? Or maybe it was Makabe-senpai? Either way, I was thinking that maybe we could go to it. Together. It... It sounds fun."

It was Makoto that was interested in hypnotism; Kindaichi had grown to strongly dislike it after going to a hypnosis show in high school with Makoto, Saki, and Miyuki. It wasn't hypnosis itself really, but everything else that had occurred. It too had happened at a hotel, and the sudden paranoia he had about the situation made Kindaichi feel like he was overreacting, but he couldn't help it.

"I'm sure it will be fun." he said. "When does it start?"

Kindaichi's acceptance to attending the hypnotism show brought a surprisingly excited smile to Saki's face, the details relayed quickly.

"Now, we don't have to meet up there." Kindaichi said, waving a hand. "Why don't we just spend the day together? Leave work at noon, go to lunch--I did say we should go to lunch at that cafe again--and get you checked in. Then we have a free evening until the show starts, right? Is there anywhere you want to go? Any movies you want to see?"

Saki had fixed him with a stare, and Kindaichi didn't realize what he proposed truly sounded like until Saki asked him, slightly hushed and slightly astounded

"Senpai... Is this a date?"

"No." Kindaichi said quickly, letting out a nervous laugh he hadn't meant to have. Saki didn't seem opposed to the idea, truly, just surprised, and Kindaichi considered changing his answer before he remembered--he couldn't have a crush on Saki. Not yet.

"Okay."

The following silence was deafening, and Kindaichi had to bite his lips to hold in a wince.

"If you don't want to that's fine, I--"

"No senpai, I do."

"Sorry."

The apology made Saki look at him and laugh, and soon Kindaichi was laughing too, the awkward silence melting between them as Saki focused back on his food. They finished their meal in a comfortable quietness, washing the dishes together before going to their respective sleeping places, Kindaichi finding himself irrationally excited about the next day, but also apprehensive. He tried to tell himself he was being paranoid; nothing was going to happen. He had checked--the event had been planned weeks in advance, and the chance of Saki picking that hotel and moving in to it on that night, was too small to stake much of anything on. It was too much of a coincidence.


	6. Chapter 6

Kindaichi had to remind himself of the coincidences--that they were only _coincidences_\--multiple times as the hypnotism show began. The situations weren't identical by any means--this hotel was much less fancy than the other one they had been, the crowd smaller and casually dressed, the hypnotist a tall and thin short haired man with a strange, watery voice.

However, when the hypnotist brought out the people that were going to help him with his tricks, and it was four young boys, Kindaichi found himself resisting the urge to just ask Saki if they could leave, and now. Just similar enough to be familiar was what the killer had been doing up until that point, and all of this was definitely fitting into that category.

The second kid was in the middle of being hypnotized--a boy with big eyes and a black bowl cut--when Saki leaned closer, tapping Kindaichi on the arm. Kindaichi jumped nearly out of his seat, startling both Saki and the person on the other side of him.

"Yeah, what?" He asked quickly shaking his head a bit.

"I was just going to ask if you knew how he was doing all this, because you completely debunked the man last time we went to one, but... Are you okay? You seem..." Saki's eyes trailed over him slowly. "On edge."

"Oh, I'm fine!" Kindaichi smiled. "You just surprised me--I had just zoned out a bit."

Saki gave him a hesitant look, so Kindaichi changed the subject.

"And don't ask me how it's done; that would ruin all the magic."

Saki smiled a little, then turned back to the show. His distress being noticed made him try harder to simply calm down, dismiss his fears, and focus on the show in front of them. Most of the tricks were see-through, only a few of them piquing his interest, and he found himself more enjoying the entertainment on Saki's face than the actual hypnotist. The rest of the event, kind of like a type of miniature carnival, was winding down quickly, having taken place mostly during midday for younger children. Kindaichi managed to snag Saki the last of the balloons, and narrowly avoided getting his face painted.

"But it could look like a daruma!" Saki was insisting as they took the elevator to the fifth floor. "White eyelids: one could have a black circle, and you could fill in the other one when you solve the case!"

"I don't want to keep any face paint on for that long." Kindaichi countered, making Saki laugh.

Saki flopped down on his bed after they entered his hotel room, Kindaichi halfway to the couch when Saki spoke up.

"You don't have to sleep there. You can sleep on the bed, if you want."

The offer was a surprise, and the sight of Saki splayed on his back on his bed, one hand playing with the top button on his shirt, made Kindaichi bite his tongue hard.

"It's okay; you slept on the couch at my apartment."

"But we slept in the same bed at Shiranuhi Island. Unless that was weird for you."

"No! No, it was fine."

"That's what I thought, because it was you that climbed into my bed, senpai."

"Shut up." Kindaichi said, sitting heavily enough on the mattress to make Saki's body bounce. "In a bed together at a hotel... People at the office are going to talk."

"They already do. I am glad you're here though." Saki said quietly, turning his body to face Kindaichi's, his bangs falling in front of his face. "Thanks for knowing I didn't want to be alone."

"Of course." Kindaichi smiled at him, Saki pushing his bangs aside to make eye contact and smile back. Then Saki began to sit up, leaning a little closer, Kindaichi saying quickly

"So, about the case--"

"I don't want to think about the case." Saki said with a sigh, stopping for a second before flopping back down. "It's all we've been thinking about for weeks. Can we think about something else? Something that doesn't have to do with flowers and murder?"

Kindaichi thought for a few moments, then had the perfect idea, pulling his phone out of his pocket.

"Have you ever seen any of Makoto's show?"

Slowly, Saki shook his head, a smile growing on his face. Kindaichi grinned excitedly, laying his head on one of the pillows and patting the one next to him for Saki to join him.  
"You have to watch some; it's hysterical."

They stared at Kindaichi's phone screen for a few hours, watching old episodes and laughing. When Saki's yawning slowly became more frequent, Kindaichi decided to call it a night.

"I didn't know Makabe-senpai has met so many ghosts." Saki said as Kindaichi reached up to turn off the lamp. "I'll have to ask him about it."

Kindaichi laughed at that, laying back down. "I'm sure he'd love to tell you."

Silence settled quickly, still and calm, Kindaichi using the security of the darkness to move a little closer. Saki didn't move away, turning on his side and touching his forehead to Kindaichi's shoulder again, Kindaichi finding himself unable to hold back a smile.

The click of the hotel room door was what woke him. It took Kindaichi a moment to realize what the small sound was, but when he did his primary emotion was confusion, sitting up and looking blearily in the door's direction. It was the early hours of the morning, the pale beginnings of the day filtering through the blinds, just enough light for Kindaichi to make out a small figure standing in the room, approaching the bed.

An unknown intruder was scary enough, but this one had to be somewhere between nine and eleven years old, eyes lidded and unfocused. His bowl cut was enough for Kindaichi to identify him as one of the young boys that had participated in the hypnosis show.

"Are you okay?" Kindaichi asked. The boy's movements were slow and jerky. "Do you need help?"

No response, and no indication that he had even been heard in the first place. Worried, Kindaichi sat up straighter, blinking and trying to see if the boy was physically injured. It didn't seem like it.

"Here," Kindaichi pulled the sheets back, ready to get out of bed. "Let me help you."

As he moved to stand up the boy brought an arm out from behind his back, lunging forward and down. He had an alarmingly large steak knife in his hand, Kindaichi letting out a surprised shout and feeling Saki flinch next to him, stirring. He was caught too off guard to dodge much, though he did try, a sharp pain slicing itself from the middle inside of his forearm to his elbow. He gripped the boy's wrist with his uninjured arm, twisting it, the knife clattering across the floor.

"...Hajime?" Saki murmured groggily, shifting in the sheets.

"Hey. Hey. Wake up." Kindaichi gave the boy's shoulder a shake. He still looked the way he had upon walking in, swaying on his feet and more than half asleep. "I need you to open your eyes for me, okay?"

"Senpai, you're bleeding." Saki was fully awake next to him, tone hushed and fast in concern.

"I know." Kindaichi shook the boy again, slightly harder, and it did the trick, his eyes blinking before opening fully. He looked around wildly, fear and confusion on his features. Kindaichi leapt out of bed, scooping the knife from the floor and opening the bathroom door, clicking the inside lock before throwing the knife in and closing it, effectively locking the weapon inside.

"Stay with him, and make sure he doesn't hurt himself." Kindaichi told Saki, nodding to the kid before exiting the room. He cursed himself for not grabbing a towel before he left, unsure of what to do with the blood running down his arm as he headed to the lobby, taking the stairs two at a time.

"Can I help you?" The receptionist asked, not looking at him.

"I need the room the hypnotist is staying in." Kindaichi tried not to sound as out of breath as he was, hoping he wouldn't need to go back upstairs and grab his badge. Thankfully, the receptionist didn't seem to care.

"Room 206."

"Thank you."

Kindaichi didn't believe in hypnosis, but that kid did not look okay, and the fact that he had participated in the hypnosis show was the first and only suspicion that Kindaichi had. Even if it cropped up to nothing, he still wanted to talk to the tall, strange man. He had been uneasy the entire show, and that had to mean something.

The door of room 206 opened when he knocked on it, the lights off and the place looking deserted. Kindaichi walked around hesitantly, unsure and wondering if he was in the wrong place when his eyes caught something in the bathroom trash can. Slowly, he reached down and pulled it out.

A face. A rubbery, much too realistic face, the black short hair still attached. It was undoubtedly the face of the hypnotist, meaning that the man had been here, but was already gone. Kindaichi cursed, hands balling involuntarily into fists. His paranoia had been correct and reasonable, the child with the knife an extremely blatant attempt on Saki's life.

Or was it? It seemed amazingly unreliable to try and have a dazed child to commit murder, especially one being so led up to that it made Kindaichi want to rip his hair out. It was just another threat, another warning.

The full face mask, hair and all, was something Kindaichi had seen Takato do more than once. Furious, Kindaichi picked up the hotel room's phone and dialed a number.

"Hello?" The self-assured purr made him angrier, if anything else.

"Takato Yoichi, if you're back in Japan I swear--"

"Kindaichi-kun!" Takato sounded quite happy to hear his voice. "I've missed you. I wished you'd called with your cell phone though. I've been waiting for 'Kin-chan' to appear on my cell phone screen."

Kindaichi pursed his lips, waiting, knowing Takato wouldn't let him say anything of importance until he was finished teasing.

"If you didn't call because you couldn't find my number, don't worry. I understand. I put myself as 'Ta-chan' in your phone."

"Takato."

“Okay. You're angry. What are you calling about, Kindaichi?"

"I need you to stop messing with Saki and I."

"Messing with you?" Takato sounded genuinely surprised for a moment. "Someone else has their eyes on your lover boy, hm?"

Kindaichi pursed his lips, wanting help but not wanting to say yes, either.

"Don't worry, it's not me. You insult me, Kindaichi; we're not in high school anymore. I have better things to do. I'm doing a better thing right now, actually."

"You're not in Japan?"

"I'm not even in the Eastern Hemisphere." Kindaichi could hear the smile on Takato's voice. "I'm pulling of the largest heist Brazil has ever seen. I've worked on this for four years. I love you, Kindaichi-kun, but this is infinitely more important."

"A heist?" Kindaichi could feel tension leaving his shoulders, able to tell that Takato was being truthful with him. He'd had no hand in this.

"Yeah, maybe I'm getting old, though I doubt it. I'm tired of killing people. I just want to be rich."

There was a silence, Takato laughing.

"Is that it, Kindaichi-kun? I need to go, but I would hate to be rude."

"Yes, that's it."

"Good. I hope you catch whoever's tormenting you, though I have confidence that you will."

The call ended with a click, Kindaichi putting the phone back on the dock. His frustration had faded, body weary as he went back to the fifth floor.

"I called Hatakeyama." Saki said as Kindaichi reentered the room. He was sitting on his bed, the boy asleep next to him. "The kid is okay. He cried for a little while, but I don't think he was ever fully awake. He fell back asleep again soon after you left."

"That's good." Kindaichi headed to the bathroom, unlocking it to grab a towel, asking "Are you okay?"

"Me? I'm fine." Saki got up, following, eyes big as saucers as he saw Kindaichi's arm, and for good enough reason; the amount of bleeding made the injury look much worse than it was, blood all the way down to his fingertips and on his shirt. "What happened?"

"That." He pointed to the knife on the floor, the object having skidded to hit the back wall, behind the toilet. "The boy had it, and swung it around, but I don't think he was conscious of what it was doing."

Kindaichi got the towel wet with hot water, hissing as he pressed it to the sensitive skin close to the wound. He had bled all over himself, and wanted to clean up before Hatakeyama got there.

"Let me do that." Saki requested, already reaching for the towel. "Sit up on the counter."

Kindaichi complied, the white fabric turning a watery pink as Saki worked.

"So, the kid tried to stab you?"

Kindaichi laughed a little. "I don't think so. I mean, technically yes, but it wasn't his fault. And really, this isn't my hotel room, so..."

"The kid tried to stab me." Saki finished.

"I don't think he would have succeeded either way." Kindaichi said quickly. "He didn't know where he was, or what he was doing, so it was extremely unreliable. Whoever it was didn't mean for it to work."

Saki nodded quietly. "Thanks though, for protecting me."

"Of course!" Kindaichi smiled at him. "I said I would, didn't I?"

Saki didn't respond, rinsing off the towel and wringing it out before saying "You know, senpai..."

"Hm?"

"I had the biggest crush on you in high school."

"What?" Kindaichi exclaimed, making Saki smile. "Really?"

"Yup."

"But, with me and Miyuki... You always..."

"Well, I wanted you to be happy, and if you liked her then I wanted to help you out."

"I can't believe I didn't know." Kindaichi said as Saki picked up his hand, cleaning the last of the blood off his skin.

"Honestly, I can't believe you didn't know either." Saki responded, laughing lightly. He put Kindaichi's hand back in his lap. "Done." He declared, just as there was a knock on the door.

"Hopefully that's Hatakeyama." Kindaichi said, getting down from the counter. Thankfully it was, the man looking over the room. When he realized that everyone in the room, for the most part, was okay, Kindaichi saw his entire body relax.

"This is it." Hatakeyama said. "Saki, we're going to have to move you, and station some guards. And the same for you Kindaichi, since you've been injured." He rubbed his forehead. "We'll have to find a way to free up some officers, and I don't even know where we can place Saki by the end of today, but--"

"Hatakeyama, if it's okay with you--or both of you, actually--could I just have Saki come live back with me? I don't trust leaving him to some random police officers, because even you have been impersonated by Takato."

Hatakeyama thought for a moment, then sighed.

"Alright. I am going to put a few officers with you though, Kindaichi. You can choose who you want. Now I need to look at this kid, and make some phone calls."

As Hatakeyama walked over to the bed, Saki turned to Kindaichi with an apologetic expression.

"Well, I tried to move out." He said. "Sorry."

"No, it's good." Kindaichi said quickly. "Besides, I need to keep an eye on you. You're a little danger hazard."

Saki smiled a little, closing his eyes and resting his forehead against Kindaichi's shoulder.


	7. Chapter 7

"So, when we were at that Malaysian summer camp, and I teased you about having a crush on Hama Akiko... You actually had a crush on me?"

"Yes."

"And... And when we went to Shiranuhi Island, and I was talking about Miyuki and showing you my underwear, you liked me then, too?"

They were at the office, supposed to be working, but conversation had derailed quickly. Kindaichi had been asking questions for nearly half an hour, and now Saki's ears were an alarming shade of red.

"If it happened during high school, then the answer is yes, senpai. I liked you all three years, and I liked you when you graduated."

"Wait, but did you even like me when--"

"Yes!" Saki said quickly, cutting him off. "I did. Now stop flattering yourself and get to work."

Kindaichi pursed his lips, raising his eyebrows. Saki was embarrassed, and while he did feel a little bad about it, he mostly was enjoying tormenting him a little, with hearing Saki contunially saying he liked him as an added bonus.

His cell phone rang, startling him from his pseudo-scared expression. He moved quickly to answer it, the name on the caller ID surprising him.

_ Calling: _ _Tachikawa Miyako_

"Hello?"

Miyako was an old friend of his, and the only one that really kept in touch with him after a few of his other middle school companions had been murdered. Her house was the one he stayed at when he would visit, and her mother had always wanted the two of them to date, making their relationship slightly awkward.

"H-hi, Kindaichi."

She sounded strange, voice higher than usual in pitch. Kindaichi knew he was being incredibly paranoid but he was beyond caring about that now, mouthing quickly at Saki to trace the call. Saki nodded and did as he was bid, putting on headphones and starting up the wireless machine.

"What's up? It's been a while." He tried to keep his voice casual--this could just be a friend wanting to talk to him, after all--but when she spoke again, he knew something was very, very wrong.

"I... I was told to call you." Her voice broke in a sob, the beginnings of fear rising in Kindaichi's chest.

"Told? By who? Tachikawa, are you okay?"

"I can't say." She was crying, that much was obvious now, her next sentence coming out in a whine. "Kindaichi, I'm a hostage."

Saki looked over at him, eyes wide. He could hear the entire conversation too, through the headphones he had on.

"Where are you? I'll save you, I promise, I just need to know--"

"The kidnapper wants to trade for me." Miyako cut him off, her words sounding more scripted. "They want to trade me for Saki Ryuji."

Kindaichi closed his eyes, biting his tongue and letting his body fall back into his chair. _No. No. This can't be happening._

"Tomorrow, at noon, at the Roscrucian Mansion. Or... Or I'll be dead."

An abrupt click indicated the end of the phone call, Kindaichi sitting in a shocked silence, his cell phone still up to his ear.

"...I'll go." Saki said after a moment, taking the headphones off. "I'll do it."

"No." Kindaichi answered immediately, jumping up. "You can't. I can't let you."

"We can't let her die!" Saki answered, getting to his feet as well, the strain in his voice a clear indicator of the fear his statement had given him. If it was the fear of Miyako dying or the fear of himself taking her place, Kindaichi couldn't tell. "I couldn't live with myself, knowing that I let that happen without doing anything."

"She's not going to die."

"She is if I don't go."

Saki was right, and Kindaichi knew it.

"But... You are if you do."

"No, no." Saki was shaking his head. "She didn't say anything about me being killed. I probably won't be, otherwise an exchange would be useless, wouldn't it?"

"Saki, this entire case has been about killing you, can't you see that?" Kindaichi was trying not to shout, trying not to cry, trying not to let his emotions get the better of him. "You're not going to the Roscrucian Mansion."

"Why not?" Saki was asking honestly; his voice had faded in intensity, as though he had shifted from arguing his point to trying to see why Kindaichi was so against it. "We have to save her."

"Because I care about you too much!"

Saki's expression was one of complete surprise, Kindaichi having to look away. "There has to be something else. There has to be something else we can do."

"They never said anything about me going alone." Saki spoke up after a long silence, voice tentative. "We could go together. We could bring Hatakeyama. We could bring the whole police force."

"Tachikawa would be dead if we brought the whole police force." Kindaichi answered. He knew what Saki meant though. "I think it would be okay if I went with you. As long as you don't go alone."

"Okay senpai." Saki smiled, the expression assuring. "I won't."

They spent their evening preparing, packing anything they could need. Honestly, with the grim mood aside, it felt nearly like a vacation. Saki was extremely quiet though, and Kindaichi didn't really feel like talking either, the two of them curling up on the couch together under a blanket. The couch was where Saki slept, but some part of Kindaichi didn't want to be alone, so he resolved to stay until he was asked to leave. He wasn't though, consequently falling asleep with his head on Saki's shoulder, a rerun of a variety show playing on the television.

The couch was empty when he woke up. Cold fear settled around him as he looked through the room, somehow already knowing what happened, seeing Saki's suitcase missing, and a short note placed on the kitchen table.

_We both knew I had to I had to go alone. Rescue me, alright?  
__ \--Saki_

Saki had gone to save Tachikawa by himself. Kindaichi just stood there for a moment, fighting down the panic in his throat, trying to think. He needed to think. He needed to think of _something_.

One thing was obvious--he was going to the Roscrucian Mansion. Saki was there with some unnamed perpetrator, and was he was being lured in so obviously that it was almost embarrassing. Whoever had done this knew about his feelings, and knew how strong they were. He had been left without a choice.

"I said I would protect Saki, and nothing is going to stand in the way of that promise. I'm going to solve this case and keep him safe... In the name of my grandfather, the famous detective!"

The Roscrucian Mansion looked deserted. Kindaichi walked slowly through the open gates, glancing around. It looked the same as he remembered, if not a bit overgrown. Feeling as though he was being watched and not much liking it, Kindaichi took faster strides to the front door. He was incredibly in edge, nearly expecting something to jump out at him when he opened the door. Nothing did, and he entered slowly.

The lobby area was empty and clean, all marble floors and high ceilings. There was the same tall, skinny table in the center with potted blue roses, Kindaichi's stomach turning when he saw a splash of deep red decorating the petals. His suitcase strap fell from his hand as he ran forward, terrified that the substance was blood. His fears were calmed as he drew closer and the smell of paint infiltrated his senses, the color a bit too bright.

_Just red paint._ _It's just red paint._

The blue bouquet was arranged nicely, washed over by the ugly red splash, a crisp, untouched card held up in the center.

_Kindaichi Hajime. I knew you would come. Your room is E212; feel free to put your things in there now. If you brought any reinforcements with you get rid of them immediately, or I assure you that all of them will be killed. Following these instructions will be the only way for you to see Saki, so this is my advised course of action. Best wishes._

Feeling completely powerless, Kindaichi felt he had no choice but to go to his assigned room, heading to the staircase. Not only did the card tell him to, but it would be good to put his suitcase down somewhere before he began investigating the place. Saki was in this mansion somewhere. He just had to be found.

His plans for looking around were completely dashed by another card, placed on his pillow and catching his eye as he entered the room. He picked it up, reading quickly.

"Be outside the northmost circular room at three thirty pm...?"

The clock on the bedside table read 3:28, Kindaichi cursing under his breath and breaking into a run. The room was familiar, but he couldn't place why until he arrived at it four minutes later. It was the small outside area that allowed one to look into the circular room where they had found the dead body of Matsurizawa Isshin last time, when he, Miyuki, and Makoto had been there to find Takato's sibling. Like last time, the floor was filled with roses, depicting the image of two blue crosses and one white one and, like last time, there was a body in the center. _Saki._

He wasn't stabbed through the chest though, like Matsurizawa Isshin had been; he was splayed out and restrained, arms eagle spread with his wrists and ankles manacled down. He was struggling, writhing and destroying the design of the petals, desperate to break free. There was a stake above him, hung from the ceiling and positioned over the center of his chest. Kindaichi just stared, feeling as though he couldn't breathe.

It took a moment for him to collect himself and when he did he ran forward, pounding on the window with his fist and shouting Saki's name. That got the assistant's attention and he looked up from the floor, their eyes meeting. Kindaichi saw a moment of relief flash through the complete panic on Saki's face, but all it did was make him feel completely desperate.

"Don't worry, I'm coming!" He shouted, glancing around for something the break the glass window with. All the metal lawn furniture had been taken away, the only available stones ones cemented together under his feet. There would easily be something inside he could use, but he didn't want to leave the scene for fear of Saki being gone when he returned. Saki was here, now, and Kindaichi had to save him.

He began pounding on the window again, fists bouncing uselessly against the glass, shouting out empty assurances. He had no idea what he would do when he got in the room, or how he would free Saki from the restraints keeping him on the floor, but he felt as long as he got in there, it would be okay.

Saki shouted something back; it was either the usual "senpai" or his first name, he couldn't tell, but it made him pause, concerned.

"Hajime!"

It was clear that time, and Saki wasn't looking at him; his eyes were fixed instead on a point behind him instead. He was about to turn and look when something heavy hit him hard in the back of the head, his teeth jarring together, feeling his body hit the window before the entire world faded out of focus and into black.

It took Kindaichi six whole minutes of controlled breathing to convince himself that he could sit up without vomiting. When he had opened his eyes he had found himself in E212, lying on his bed. The sky was a dull gray outside his window, signaling the time to be somewhere in the early hours of the morning, and a glance at the clock on his bedside table confirmed his thought, _6:17_ on the screen. Slowly, Kindaichi pulled himself into a sitting position with a groan.

He had been knocked out before, so he knew he would feel dizzy and sick, but he hadn't expected it to be this bad. He was stressed and hungry as well, he reasoned, but it was still concerning, having to move slowly for his eyes to stay in focus.

"Saki."

Kindaichi brought himself to the edge of his bed, wondering if he should try standing up. He needed to help Saki; he needed to find him, and get the both of them out of here. As he got to his feet he noticed something on the door, walking over to it. It was a card, like the one that had been on his bed earlier, carrying another message.

_Kindaichi, you were late by two minutes. Being late is no good. Then again, neither is being early. Arrive right on time, or Saki will be killed. Be outside the room at the south end of the first floor at eight am._

He had an hour and a half to get to the southern end of the building, sitting back down and resting his forearms on his thighs. Now that he had to be somewhere, he had no idea what to do with himself. The thought of going to the location early and to try intercepting Saki or the perpetrator did cross his mind, but it seemed too risky. The threat was plausible enough for everything to seem too risky, ignoring the hunger in his stomach and simply sitting on his bed, recovering his wits from the previous day's blow and watching the minutes slowly tick by. He felt--and knew that, truly, he was--completely overwhelmed. Saki was in so much danger, and he himself was so completely powerless, and somehow, knowing that he was in love with Saki made the whole thing worse. Never before had he had so much to lose.


	8. Chapter 8

After he'd been sitting for an hour he couldn't take it anymore, getting up and exiting the room, resolving to at least find the way to where he was supposed to be at eight. It was a good thing he did, because it took him nearly until eight o'clock to do so, arriving when the note told him to. There was nothing in the area, confusing him for a moment, simply standing outside. Then the curtains on the window he was in front of opened halfway, and he looked in.

All he could see was a table tipped on its side, with a mirror hung on it. In the reflection was Saki, tied into a chair. The ropes weren't there for restraining him this time, not really; they were what was keeping him in the chair, his head lolling forwards, his eyes closed and his body limp and relaxed, the slight movement of his shoulders the only indication that he was still alive.

"Saki!" Kindaichi shouted. He didn't react. The location seemed so random, and with Kindaichi unable to see into the part of the room where Saki was thanks to the curtain, only his reflection in the mirror, the setup seemed nothing but confusing and pointless. He was given a clue though to what room he was at when, from behind the table, stood a hooded figure dressed entirely in black, a red bow and black arrow being held in gloved hands.

This was the room Zenda Miruku's body had been found in, dead with a shaft protruding from her chest. And now the bowstring was pulled taught, the point of the arrow aimed in Saki's direction. Kindaichi realized in that instant that he was reliving the previous murders that had happened in the Roscrucian Mansion, and Saki was the victim.

Kindaichi was stilled into a silent horror as the arrow was loosed from the bow, crossing the room in almost slow motion, appearing in the mirror and sinking into the wall next to Saki's head. The relief of the miss was staggering, Kindaichi finding a rock by his feet and gripping it tightly, slamming it against the window. The glass cracked, and after three hits it was shattered, Kindaichi having to hold his eyes closed to avoid getting glass in them. Once he was throught the window and into the room, able to open his eyes, it was empty. Saki was gone, the chair empty and ropes lax; the hooded figure was gone, and the arrow they had left behind had a message taped to it. After trying both of the doors in the room and finding them locked, Kindaichi let out a long breath and read the note.

_In the lobby, this evening at 5. It's time to talk._

Kindaichi ripped the paper off, crumpling it in his hand, clenching his fist to keep the rest of his body from shaking. Panic was just below the surface, threatening at any moment to consume him, being kept at bay only be the anger at who was doing this, and confusion about the entirety of the situation.

He searched the mansion, but his efforts didn't amount to much of anything because a large majority of the doors were locked. It wasn't until he got to his room and shut the door that the gravity of the situation weighed in on him, realizing what was going to happen in a few hours. The case was coming to a close, and he still had no idea who the perpetrator was. He hadn't solved anything.

It took him some more sitting and thinking to figure out why. The killer hadn't given him time to think. Each incident with a blue rose had happened one after the other, with barely a day or two in between. He had always been too shaken up, and too worried about Saki, to even attempt thinking straight. The killer was still doing that now, making him watch an attempt on Saki's life before whisking away, leaving him feeling sick and scared. He hadn't even tried, aside from random sparks of inspiration, to give serious thought to who was behind the attacks, to what anyone's motives could be or how to stop them. That needed to happen, and it needed to happen now.

Kindaichi took a deep breath, sitting on the edge of his bed and closing his eyes, exhaling slowly. He needed to set his feelings aside, and think objectively. He needed to figure this out.

Ten minutes before five o'clock was when he opened his eyes again, slowly pushing himself to his feet.

"The mystery has been completely solved."

  
The black-clad figure was already in the lobby when he arrived, the blue flower arrangement between them when Kindaichi entered the room. Their back was turned, but Kindaichi could see Saki was there too, being held in some way.

"I honestly didn't believe that it was you." Kindaichi began. "I considered it, but dismissed it soon thereafter. You're going to have to explain yourself."

The person turned around, lifting a hand--a hand holding a small, pointed knife--and pulled the hood of their cloak down, brown hair falling past shoulder length. She smiled.

"Misaki Giselle." Kindaichi raised an eyebrow. "I overestimated you."

"Overestimated me?" She laughed. There was a rope around Saki's middle, keeping his hands tied and pressed to the small of his back, and Giselle had one of her arms looped around them, holding his arms to her body and pulling his shoulders at an uncomfortable angle. "This situation hardly seems like it. If you didn't know it was me until I turned around then you really are a fool."

"Now, let me explain." Kindaichi finally let himself meet Saki's gaze, and he had to bite his lip for a moment. Saki's eyes were extremely pained but completely trusting, wholly there for anything Kindaichi was going to say. It was all Kindaichi had to tear his eyes away and speak again.

"I understand that the blue roses were a reference to you, and the past, and what happened last time we were here, but it didn't quite seem to fit. You're well-versed in the language of flowers, aren't you?"

"Extremely."

"Then you would know, better than anyone, that if you were after me for anything--which, clearly, you are--a blue rose isn't the message you're meaning to send. 'Youth' and 'granting wishes'... It doesn't make sense. There were enough references to the past for me to understand what was happening; anyone would have understood after Shiranuhi Island. With 'death', and 'revenge', wouldn't a black rose have been more fitting?"

Giselle was smiling wider than Kindaichi was comfortable with.

"I am one for dramatics, but that's a little too much. And it implies that I'm evil, which is an idea I'm not fond of." She waved a hand. "I appreciate your research, but if you were as knowledgeable as I am, you would have known that blue roses have another meaning besides the literature that they reside in. They can also represent things like mystery, and..." She touched the point of her knife gently to Saki's neck, the smallest of sounds coming from his mouth as the tiny prick began to bleed. "Unattainable love. Much more fitting, don't you think?"

"You won't hurt him."

"Hurt him?" Giselle laughed. "It's too late for that."

"She’s wrong senpai, I'm okay."

Kindaichi barely had time to register the annoyance on Giselle's face before she pulled upwards on Saki's arms, the movement fast and sharp an accompanying a snapping sort of sound that made him cry out.

"It's just a dislocated shoulder, it won't kill him." Giselle said, looking at the shocked expression on Kindaichi's face. "Though I have no intentions of letting him leave this mansion alive."

"Why?" Kindaichi asked. Giselle raised her eyebrows.

"You want me to tell you? Isn't figuring that out your job, Kindaichi?"

"Revenge for your arrest is the only thing I can think of, but when it happened you didn't much resist. Or stay detained for your whole sentence, either. How is it that you haven't been discovered yet? How are you still 'present' in your prison cell?"

"Haven't you done a case concerning lookalike plastic surgery before?" Giselle asked. "Fuyuno Yaehime paid an embarrassing amount of money to keep herself safe when I told her I was out, and it's amazing how many friends you can make with money and a pretty face."

"You infiltrated the police force." Kindaichi said, slightly disbelieving.

"Completely." Giselle answered. "And it worked so well. This is going perfectly."

"What is?" Kindaichi asked. Saki's head was hanging, legs weakening. This had to be over soon. "What even is this?"

"A lesson. You unjustly tried to take away my entire life." A sudden venom entered Giselle's voice that had not been there before. "A future locked in solitary for longer than I even wanted to imagine. I tried suicide twice more after I had been moved to my cell, and after the second failure I realized that I wasn't at fault for how I had ended up, not really. It was all you."

"Misaki Giselle, you killed two people." Kindaichi said slowly. Her voice was nearing hysterics, and he didn't want to escalate the situation. Not when her knife was so close to Saki's body.

"Because they killed my mother!" The look in her eyes was terrifying. "They were scum! They deserved it! And _I_ was being punished?" She spat in Kindaichi's direction. "How many others have you unjustly locked away? How many others have you treated like me, Kindaichi Hajime?"

"I--"

She didn't wait for an answer, closing her eyes and taking in a long breath.

"A demonstration, Kindaichi. That's what this is. Saki has done nothing wrong, but he's being punished. Maybe you'll finally feel how you're supposed to."

She brought her knife up, Kindaichi taking a step forward.

"Don't--!"

She stopped, something he did not at all expect, waiting and looking at him curiously.

"Please. I love him."

Saki looked up, his eyes meeting Kindaichi's in complete surprise, Giselle letting out a short laugh.

"Oh, Kindaichi. I know you do."

Kindaichi already knew he couldn't move fast enough but he tried, launching himself at Misaki Giselle as she brought the knife down. Something on her face changed and she began falling forwards, the three of them a pile of limbs as something clattered across the floor. The vase of roses was tipped, crashing down and smashing, covering them in water and petals and shards of glass. Kindaichi groaned, body throbbing as he pulled himself to a sitting position, finding himself face to face with...

"...Makoto?"

"Kindaichi!" Makoto smiled, then there was a snarl and a heeled shoe collided hard with his face, Kindaichi scrambling backwards in surprise. Makoto had barreled into Giselle from behind, wrapping his arms around her legs and knocking her to the ground.

Two other people ran up before Kindaichi could even begin questioning how and why Makoto was there, serving to baffle him further.

"Hajime-chan, you--"

"Miyuki?"

A strong pair of hands got a tight grip on Giselle's arms, pulling her up off Saki and on her feet.

"Kenmochi?"

"Hey kid."

Miyuki, Makoto, and Kenmochi were all there, Miyuki rushing past them to attend to Makoto's bloody nose. Baffled, Kindaichi helped Saki sit up, taking in the bump on his forehead and split lip.

"Saki, I--"

Saki slumped against him, resting his head on Kindaichi's shoulder. Kindaichi let him stay there for a few moments, untying the rope around his waist and wrists before pulling back, looking over Saki's face, affirming that despite Misaki Giselle's best efforts Saki was here, alive, and the incredible relief that it was all over was so great, Saki meeting his eyes and then his lips in a kiss, sweet for only a second before Saki pulled back, wincing.

"Sorry, my lip... I got blood on you!"

He looked so incredibly surprised that Kindaichi had to laugh, letting Saki reach up and wipe the blood away with his thumb.

"Are you okay?"

"Yeah, I think the fall put my shoulder back into place. Though… I never, ever want to be kidnapped again." He gave Kindaichi a smile and Kindaichi couldn't help himself, pressing a few kisses to Saki's cheeks, getting a weak "Senpai, stop..." in response.

"Why should I?"

"Well, mostly because smiling makes my lip hurt." Saki said, pointing to the injury. But he was smiling anyway, so widely that it looked like he couldn't contain it if he tried, and it made Kindaichi smile back, cheeks pink as he continued. "That and... Everyone is looking at us."

Everyone _was_ looking at them; Makoto's eyes were wide, Kenmochi was smiling a little, and Miyuki looked almost unfazed, one eyebrow raised.

"That, what you said earlier... That was a love confession?" Makoto asked.

"Makoto, what else does 'I love him' mean?" Miyuki asked back. "Come on, hold the towel to your face, you're bleeding on yourself."

"Were you being serious, senpai? With what you said earlier?" Saki asked, voice quiet. Kindaichi nodded.

"Yeah, I... This would be better if everybody wasn't watching us, but... I love you, Saki. I'm in love with you."

Saki beamed, then forcibly tried to stop, reaching up and touching his bleeding lip.

"Good," he answered "because I love you too. I have since high school; my feelings have never changed."

Kindaichi couldn't keep the smile from his face, unable to meet Saki's eyes. "I really wish I could kiss you right now." He admitted. Saki laughed.

"There will be plenty of time for that after this woman is officially arrested." Kenmochi said. He was smiling too. "I can take care of it myself, if you all want to go home. I've already texted Hatakeyama."

"How are you all here?" Kindaichi finally had to ask, looking around at his friends.

"Saki called me." Makoto said. "It was early in the morning, and I was picking Miyuki up from the airport--she wanted to surprise you two--and he told me everything, and that he might need help. And since Miyuki was there, he told her too."

"I'm so incredibly jet lagged right now." Miyuki told them.

"I also talked to Kenmochi." Saki finished. "Do you really think I would go and get myself kidnapped without arranging any backup?"

"You're amazing." Kindaichi told him, a small, gruff noise coming from where Kenmochi was standing. He looked rather emotional, blinking and frowning.

"Old man?"

"You two... It's finally happened. I've waited so long for this."

"Finally?" Kindaichi was stunned.

"Hajime-chan, everybody knew Saki liked you." Miyuki said. "And everybody also knew that your feelings towards him weren't completely platonic either, even when you brought that weird underwear to the island with you. The only time you wore them you were lying in bed, talking to Saki on the phone."

She did have a point.

"Can we leave?" Saki asked. "I don't want to be here anymore."

"Sure." Kindaichi smiled, holding his hands to help pull him up. "Let's go back to the apartment. Let's go home."

"Wait... You guys live together?!" Makoto shrieked, but Kenmochi was beaming.

Hatakeyama again gave them as long as they needed off work to recover, but this time they actually took advantage of it. The first few days were a lot of sleeping, Saki needing the rest the most. Miyuki was visiting for a week, staying at their house for a few days, so they felt obligated to at least change out of their pajamas when it seemed like she was getting too bored, though she never said so.

When she left it was sad to see her go, but it was also nice to finally be alone after what they had gone through. They spent a large amount of the day talking, and eventually they decided that Saki wouldn't be moving out after all, that the fun of seeing Hatakeyama's face after telling him they were dating would be diminished by the fact that an overjoyed Kenmochi would have definitely already told him, and that Kindaichi himself was a bit of an idiot.

"That old man was way too excited." Kindaichi complained. "Really, did everyone else already know?"

"Now senpai, it wasn't everyone." Saki said, reclining on the couch and resting his head on Kindaichi's lap, Kindaichi not quite able to tell if the sympathy in his voice was mocking or genuine. It became obvious by his next sentence. "Makabe-senpai didn't know."

Kindaichi gave him an unamused look, making him laugh.

"I did say you were bad at the whole 'love' thing." Saki pointed out.

"Well, at least I can solve mysteries." Kindaichi grumbled. "Speaking of which, want to go back to work tomorrow?"

"Sure." Saki smiled at him. "Honestly, for everything... Thank you."

"Of course!" Kindaichi tapped Saki's nose lightly with his fingertip. "You didn't even break anything. I'm proud of myself."

Saki laughed, nodding and sitting up. "I feel bad though; when Makabe-senpai got kicked in the face, it broke his nose."

"Regretful, but unfortunately for Makoto he's not the one I'm not in love with."

Saki rolled his eyes, but he was smiling. "We never properly thanked him. Could we go stop by his house?"

"Definitely." They stood together, talking over thank you gift ideas as they got properly dressed. Saki was in the middle of something about a ghost themed flower bouquet when he noticed Kindaichi staring at him.

"What?"

"Nothing, I..." It was embarrassing, Kindaichi having to take a breath before speaking. "Flowers, and everything, are awesome, but... Can I kiss you?"

Saki just smiled, stepping close to him. It definitely wasn't the first kiss they shared, and it made Kindaichi incredibly happy to know that it also definitely wouldn't be the last.

"You ready to go?" Kindaichi asked after pulling back, unable to keep the grin off his face. Saki nodded, slipping his hand into Kindaichi's and beaming.

"Yeah."


End file.
